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How Much Does the Average Person Pay for Insurance?

How Much Does the Average Person Pay for Insurance?

Key Takeaways

Key Takeaways

  • Auto insurance averages around $166 per month but monthly billing may include extra fees.1
  • Health insurance (via the marketplace) costs an average of $625/month in 2026.2 Employer-sponsored coverage runs roughly $1,440/year for individuals and $6,850/year for families.3
  • Life insurance varies a lot, but a healthy 30-year-old male will pay around $564 each year (or $47 a month) for $1 million worth of coverage on a 20-year term life policy.4
  • For homeowners insurance, the national average annual premium on $350,000 of dwelling coverage is $1,951, or $163 monthly.

Maybe you’ve been looking at your premiums and scratching your head thinking, Does everyone pay this much? Or maybe you’re just entering the market and your eyeballs are popping. Either way, we get it. Insurance is one of those things you know you need, but it seems to cost. A. Lot.

So, how much should you pay for insurance? Depending on what kind you need, what’s the average insurance cost per month?

Let’s look at some average numbers for the four main types of insurance you should have—auto, homeowners (or renters), health insurance and life insurance—and get a feel for what people normally pay. While insurance is the best defense for your life and finances, that doesn’t mean you have to overpay for the right coverage.

 

How Much Should You Pay for Auto Insurance?

Screeech! Bang! There are few things worse than the jitters you get after a car accident. It doesn’t take long for the adrenaline rush to be replaced by anxiety over the cost of repairing or replacing your car. Thankfully, auto insurance softens the blow.

But how much is car insurance per month? According to a study from the Federal Reserve in 2025, the national average cost per household for car insurance is $1,993 per year.5 (For the average car insurance cost per month, that works out to about $166. But keep in mind, paying monthly instead of annually often leads to extra fees.)

Here’s a look at the average car insurance cost for full coverage* by state:

State

Average Cost for Full Coverage

Alabama

$1,836

Alaska

$2,217

Arizona

$2,257

Arkansas

$2,321

California

$2,848

Colorado

$2,315

Connecticut

$2,310

Delaware

$2,500

Florida

$3,536

Georgia

$2,410

Hawaii

$1,655

Idaho

$1,339

Illinois

$2,004

Indiana

$1,668

Iowa

$1,683

Kansas

$2,171

Kentucky

$2,807

Louisiana

$3,718

Maine

$1,408

Maryland

$2,290

Massachusetts

$1,777

Michigan

$2,859

Minnesota

$2,021

Mississippi

$2,008

Missouri

$2,326

Montana

$2,048

Nebraska

$1,839

Nevada

$2,535

New Hampshire

$1,480

New Jersey

$2,687

New Mexico

$1,921

New York

$2,898

North Carolina

$1,412

North Dakota

$1,825

Ohio

$1,422

Oklahoma

$2,576

Oregon

$1,857

Pennsylvania

$2,334

Rhode Island

$2,414

South Carolina

$2,407

South Dakota

$2,150

Tennessee

$1,787

Texas

$2,260

Utah

$2,002

Vermont

$1,237

Virginia

$1,776

Washington

$1,519

West Virginia

$2,135

Wisconsin

$1,750

Wyoming

$1,720

Data from Quadrant Services

*100/300/100 liability, uninsured motorist coverage, and collision and comprehensive coverage with $500 deductibles.

Reminder, we’re talking averages here. Not all car insurance rates are created equal. Let’s say your neighbor Bubba drives his truck like a maniac and gets into a fender bender (or three) every year, but your driving record is squeaky clean—who do you think will get the bigger auto insurance bill? You guessed it. The insurance company will charge him more because he’s riskier to insure. So don’t be Bubba!

Where you live will usually also factor into your car insurance price. And keep in mind, some car insurance companies tack on extra fees if you pay by the month. Make sure to check with your carrier.

No matter how much your premium ends up being, you need to have the right coverage. Unless you can open your wallet and pay for a new car without putting a dent in your finances, you should have comprehensive, collision and liability coverage.

 

Do You Actually Have Enough Coverage?

Take the Coverage Checkup to get a personalized insurance action plan that guides your next steps so you can confidently check things off as you get covered.

 

 

How Much Should You Pay for Homeowners (or Renters) Insurance?

Dorothy was right—there’s no place like home. And homeowners insurance is there to help protect your finances if something terrible happens to your home and everything in it.

In 2025, the average homeowners insurance annual premium for $350,000 in dwelling coverage was $1,951, a one-year increase of 16%, according to Quadrant Information Services. But homeowners insurance costs range widely depending on your situation.

Your cost will be based on the value of your home, your past (no, not the time you hosted a rager in your parents’ house—your insurance history!), what type of coverage you need, your credit score (we’re not fans), if you need flood insurance, and how much your belongings are worth.

But here’s some good news. For most homeowners, your property insurance is usually included in your mortgage payment, so it doesn’t really feel like an extra expense at all.

Saving money isn’t necessarily the absolute rule when it comes to insurance. The coverage is there to make sure if your biggest investment gets destroyed, your finances won’t be wiped out too. Make sure you have enough home insurance to rebuild your house and replace all your stuff.

The Most and Least Expensive States for Homeowners Insurance (Annual Premiums)

The biggest factor that impacts how much you’ll pay for homeowners insurance is, of course, how well connected you are with the insurance lords . . . just kidding, it’s location—in particular, the reconstruction costs in your area. Folks who live in major cities and densely populated areas will likely have higher rates than people in rural areas. And if you happen to live in a state where natural disasters are more common—think tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires—you’re more likely to have higher insurance rates too.

Looking at the states with the highest and lowest homeowners insurance rates, it’s no surprise the states with higher rates have dealt with major natural disasters the past few years.

Most Expensive

Least Expensive

1. Oklahoma ($4,325)

1. Hawaii ($407)

2. Louisiana ($3,994)

2. Vermont ($945)

3. Nebraska ($4,444)

3. Nevada ($961)

4. Arkansas ($3,452)

4. New Jersey ($1,004)

5. Colorado ($3,185)

5. Utah ($1,026)

Data from Quadrant Information Services based on $350,000 in dwelling coverage

Now, if you’re renting, you’re not off the hook. You need enough renters insurance to replace your stuff if it gets stolen or destroyed in a fire or some other disaster. Without this coverage, you’ll have to replace everything on your own dime. And since it only costs roughly $15 per month, there’s really no excuse for you not to have it!

 

Get trusted coverage that fits your budget.

When you work with a RamseyTrusted pro, you can feel confident knowing they’re going to find the best policy for you at the best price.

Explore Your Options

How Much Should You Pay for Health Insurance?

Maybe you’re healthy and fit and are thinking, Man, I’m hot. And maybe you’re also thinking, My health insurance cost is high—this number can’t be right. How much does the dude using the 10-pound kettlebells pay? Or maybe you’ve put on a few extra pounds and are wondering how much you could save if you got healthy. Everybody’s unique when it comes to health insurance costs, but let’s take a look at some numbers.

The average person in America pays $625 per month for marketplace health insurance as of 2026.6

What about employer coverage? The average American worker paid $1,440 in 2025 for employer-sponsored group health insurance. Workers with families pay an estimated $6,850 every year for coverage.7

But costs vary a lot based on factors like your age, the number of people on your plan, the level of coverage, your location, and your employer. And if you’re looking to keep that monthly premium down to save some money in your budget, choose a higher deductible plan.

Average Insurance Cost Per Month for Marketplace Health Insurance in 2026 by State

Here’s a breakdown of the average costs of marketplace insurance depending on your state:

State

Cost

State

Cost

Alabama

$645

Nebraska

$710

Alaska

$1,032

Nevada

$497

Arizona

$532

New Hampshire

$401

Arkansas

$774

New Jersey

$545

California

$570

New Mexico

$623

Colorado

$557

New York

$817

Connecticut

$870

North Carolina

$638

Delaware

$691

North Dakota

$570

Florida

$683

Ohio

$513

Georgia

$615

Oklahoma

$604

Hawaii

$541

Oregon

$543

Idaho

$490

Pennsylvania

$572

Illinois

$646

Rhode Island

$506

Indiana

$474

South Carolina

$564

Iowa

$501

South Dakota

$655

Kansas

$670

Tennessee

$711

Kentucky

$590

Texas

$661

Louisiana

$646

Utah

$640

Maine

$709

Vermont

$1,299

Maryland

$414

Virginia

$455

Massachusetts

$494

Washington, D.C.

$610

Michigan

$523

Washington

$612

Minnesota

$448

West Virginia

$1,073

Mississippi

$662

Wisconsin

$611

Missouri

$605

Wyoming

$1,090

Montana

$692

 

 

Kaiser Family Foundation8 

 

How Much Should You Pay for Life Insurance?

Life insurance has one job: to help your family replace your income if you suddenly die. We recommend getting a 15- or 20-year term life insurance policy that covers 10–12 times the amount of your annual gross income. So, how much does life insurance cost?

Well, if you’re a healthy 30-year-old male who wants to take out a 20-year term life policy with $1 million worth of coverage, you’ll probably pay around $564 each year, or $47 a month.9

But the exact amount you’ll pay will vary based on the length of the policy, your age, health history, tobacco use, gender, and how much coverage you want.

 

The Right Coverage at the Best Price

So, how much will you pay for insurance? If you’re the most average of average people and you paid for the average coverage from all four insurance types, your average insurance cost per month would be about $1,000 for all of them.*

But we know not everybody’s average. As we’ve shown, your situation will impact how much insurance costs you. But you don’t have to wonder if you’re paying too much for what you need.

A RamseyTrusted local insurance pro will shop the market for you and make sure you get the best deal. These pros are some of the best independent insurance agents in the country—they have the heart of a teacher, which means they’ll make sure you know what you need and why. And they’ll give you free quotes so you can know you’re not overpaying.

Don’t think you’re stuck paying through the nose for insurance—you have choices!

*Average monthly cost calculated by using the estimates of $166 for auto insurance, $625 for marketplace health insurance, $47 for life insurance, and $163 for homeowners insurance. See Key Takeaways for more detail.

 

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Ramsey Solutions

Ramsey Solutions has been committed to helping people regain control of their money, build wealth, grow their leadership skills, and enhance their lives through personal development since 1992. Millions of people have used our financial advice through 22 books (including 12 national bestsellers) published by Ramsey Press, as well as two syndicated radio shows and 10 podcasts, which have over 17 million weekly listeners. Learn More.